The effect of lithium chloride on tumour appearance and survival of melanoma-bearing mice

Abstract

The possible effect of lithium chloride, a compound which reduces the incidence of infection in cancer patients, was investigated on murine melanoma. C57 BL syngeneic mice were inoculated i.p. with B16 melanoma cells. The animals were divided into 4 groups, receiving daily i.p. treatment with saline--group 1, controls; lithium chloride--group 2, bleomycin and vinblastine--group 3, and lithium chloride with bleomycin and vinblastine--group 4. Animals in group 4 had a significant delay in tumour appearance, a higher degree of tumour necrosis, and a longer survival rate. In addition a significant reduction of serum lithium concentration was noted in animals of this group in comparison with animals in group 2, treated with lithium chloride alone. There was no lithium-induced leukocytosis.

Increased number of peripheral blood CD34+ cells in lithium‐treated patients

“…It is known that not all patients on lithium therapy augment their neutrophil counts. Regarding the putative deleterious effect that lithium might have on tumours in an autologous setting, we have shown that the combined treatment of vinblastine, bleomycin and lithium to melanoma‐bearing mice is more potent than chemotherapy alone ( Ballin et al , 1983 ).…”

Inhibition of Dimethyl Sulfoxide-Induced Friend Erythroleukemia Cell Differentiation in vitro by Lithium Chloride

“…Further more, studies performed from bone marrow and peripheral blood cells from patients on long-term daily lithium therapy (2 months to 10 years) had no observable morphological or cytogenetic changes [34], In addition, from manic-depressive patients receiving lithium as therapy, no alterations were detected in the functional capacity of circulating granulo cytes (35]. Recent studies [36] have demon strated using a murine melanoma tumor model that LiCl given prior to the induction of tumor cells delayed not only the onset of tumor development but also significantly re duced the size of the tumors compared to the tumor controls.…”

The anti-proliferative effect of lithium chloride on melanoma cells and its reversion by myo-inositol

“…Axolotl-embryo's ectodermal cells were induced to differentiate into mesenchyme, nerve cells and melanophores by LiCl (Lovtrop & Perris, 1983). LiCI has also been shown to potentiate the anti-melanoma effect of bleomycin in mice bearing melanoma tumours (Ballin et al, 1983).The biochemical basis of lithium's actions on cell growth and differentiation is unknown. However, in different tissues lithium has been shown to affect cyclic nucleotide levels (Dovsa & Mecher, 1970;Wang et al, 1974) glucose metabolism (Nordenberg et al, 1982; Dempsey et al, 1976) and phosphatidylinositol metabolism (Allison & Stewart, 1971; Allison et al, 1976; Berridge & Irvine, 1984 Cell growitth e:xperinments In most cases 105 cells were plated in 1.5ml culture medium, in 3.5cm culture dishes.…”

“…Axolotl-embryo's ectodermal cells were induced to differentiate into mesenchyme, nerve cells and melanophores by LiCl (Lovtrop & Perris, 1983). LiCI has also been shown to potentiate the anti-melanoma effect of bleomycin in mice bearing melanoma tumours (Ballin et al, 1983).…”